


Puppies, Kittens, and Love...Oh My!

by tini_dancer



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Puppy Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-06-05 07:48:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 6,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15166007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tini_dancer/pseuds/tini_dancer
Summary: Alec Lightwood is a zoology student at NYU. He spends part of his time working at an animal shelter. Magnus Bane is is a fashion student and NYU. One time he gets dragged to the animal shelter against his will. Neither of them could have expected what could blossom.*Inspired by @/malecsau on Twitter**First Ao3 story!





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning.

Simon Lewis sat in a black chair behind the front desk at the animal shelter he worked at. He didn’t necessarily hate the job, he actually loved it, but he didn’t like how he was constantly surrounded by cute animals and couldn’t even play with them. A few new kittens had been brought in the week before, and they were the cutest little things Simon had ever seen. But with the manager out of town, he couldn’t. The person who was temporarily taking his place wouldn’t allow it.

“Simon, get off your phone,” Alec said to him as he entered. Simon rolled his eyes and put it down.

“What is with you today, Alec? You’re acting like someone killed your mom.”

Alec said, “Well I’m sorry it’s rainy and moody today. The weather can tend to mess with people’s moods.”

“Yeah that isn’t it, Lightwood,” Simon smirked, “Is someone just acting desperate?”

“I hate you sometimes. Really.”

As Alec walked out, Simon called to him, “Don’t hate me ‘cause I’m right!”

Alec didn’t reply. Simon just shrugged and picked up his phone. He texted his boyfriend, Raphael Santiago, an all-caps complaint about his job and how Alec was being mean to him. Raphael was being no help over text, so Simon asked for him to stop by. Raphael agreed to do so, then, after about ten minutes, said that he was bringing a friend.

 

~~~~

 

“I can’t believe you forgot about coffee,” Magnus Bane complained as they got out of Raphael’s car, “We planned this yesterday, Raph!”

“I know, I know, but Simon means a lot to me. If you were in my position, you would have forgotten about coffee too.”

“Friends before lovers, Raph. Always.”

Magnus and Raphael entered the animal shelter and were immediately greeted by Simon. Well, Raphael was. Simon ran up to the Latino and practically jumped into his arms, kissing him. Magnus rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

Simon and Raphael parted, and the latter said, “Si, you remember Magnus, right?”

“Yeah, of course. Hey man,” Simon shook hands with Magnus, “Okay, you guys have to meet our new kittens. Their names are Honey and Marmalade. They are literally the cutest little bundles of fur to ever live. Come on!” Raphael and Magnus followed Simon into a narrow hallway. Simon used his key to open a door, then froze.

“Wh-where are they? I could have sworn their crates were in this room,” Simon smiled nervously, “I-uh, give me a second. I’m going to see which room they’re in. Our system is honestly so screwed up. Okay, I’ll be back in a jiffy!” Simon pushed past Raphael and Magnus and disappeared into another hallway.

Magnus side-eyed Raphael, “Your boyfriend is an idiot.”

“He is not! He just didn’t know where the kittens were put. No biggy.”

“‘No biggy?’” Magnus groaned, “I was promised cute animals, not an empty shelter with the dumbest caretaker in history.”

“Don’t call him dumb, Mag. If he was dumb, he wouldn’t be at NYU.”

They heard steps coming from the same hallway Simon disappeared into. Expecting the nerd to reappear, Magnus leaned against the wall in expected disappointment. Instead, he was greeted by the most surprising thing.

A tall man with a messy mop of black hair emerged from that hallway. He wore a grey sweater and black jeans. He had a box of what looked like dog toys in his arms. He was headed right for them.

The man stopped when he saw them. His eyes locked with Magnus’. Neither of the men were able to say even a syllable. The tall man was amazingly hot. Magnus bit his lip waved a little, “H-hi…”

The man nodded slowly, then remembered he was doing. He pushed past Magnus and Raphael and continued down the hallway.

“Uh...bye…” Magnus said under his breath. Raphael smirked. Simon then ran up to them.

“Okay, so they’re in this one. Sorry about that inconvenience.” Simon walked back towards the front and took them into a room they had already passed. There were animals in this room, including the two kittens Simon had talked about. The three of them played with the kittens for about half and hour, but Magnus could not get his mind off of the handsome man whom he had ran into earlier. Little did he know, Alec was thinking about him, too.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the encounter.

“‘Beautiful fashion man?’” Simon looked up from his phone, “Really, Alec? Could you be any more obvious?”

Alec bit his lip and blushed, “It’s true, though. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man so gorgeous.”

“And I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so love struck. And, seriously, that Kylie Jenner pic? Your tweets are so embarrassing.”

“It was the first thing that came up, alright?” Alec pulled up a seat next to Simon behind the front desk, “What did you say his name was again?”

“Magnus.”

Alec giggled a little, “That is such a hot name. It just rolls off the tongue magically.  _ Magnus _ .”

Simon raised an eyebrow, “Okay, Lightwood, if you think that, why don’t you follow him on Twitter? You know, actually put yourself out there for a change. It might help you be less of a dick.”

Alec got out his phone, “I’m not a dick, Si. I’m just lonely.”

“Maybe if you start talking to Magnus, you’ll be less alone.”

Alec smirked at Simon and went to Twitter. He found Magnus’ page easily, but hesitated on hitting the follow button. He got a notification from him and his friends’ group chat. Clary was asking if he had followed Magnus yet. Alec replied that he hadn’t, saying that he didn’t want to seem keen. His sister Isabelle simply replied,  _  you are keen. Do it.  _

Alec went back to Twitter and, without another hesitation, clicked the follow button. He let out a deep breath and slumped back in his chair.

“See,” Simon clapped his shoulder, “how hard was that?”

“Harder than it should’ve been.”

A timer went off, and Simon stood up, “Time to take the dogs outside. I’ve got this one. You take my place and oggle at Magnus’ Twitter page.” Alec rolled his eyes and gave Simon and thumbs-up, then flipped him off. Simon laughed and left the room.

 

~~~~

 

“He tweeted about me?!” Magnus was in shock as he went through Alec’s tweets. The handsome animal shelter man, whose name he learned was Alec, had followed him not that long before. His profile picture was an adorable image of him with a big puppy. His earlier tweets were mostly of animals at the shelter or of him and his friends and family. He learned that he had a younger sister named Isabelle and was friends with Simon, obviously, and a red-head named Clary. 

The first tweet about Magnus was definitely the first one. He must have tweeted it in whatever room he had escaped to while he and Raphael were there. It was the word “whomst” and a picture of Kylie Jenner with the caption  _ next thing I knew, I was pregnant _ . Magnus didn’t know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult, considering he despised the Kardashians and the Jenners. But he could relate to Alec, considering the animal lover was the hottest person Magnus had ever laid eyes on. 

Magnus tweeted out his reaction to Alec’s tweets, then followed Alec back. He refreshed his timeline, and at the top was a tweet from Alec saying  _ omg HE TWEETED ABOUT  ME _ .

“Does he mean me?” Magnus whispered to himself. It would have to have been, considering he did in fact tweet about Alec. He then got a text from his friend Catarina.

 

**_Cat:_ ** _ You have got to be kidding me.  _

 

**_Magnus:_ ** _ What? _

 

**_Cat:_ ** _ Those tweets. Both of you. Wtf _

 

**_Magnus:_ ** _ Haven’t we already discussed this in the gc? _

 

**_Cat:_ ** _ You guys literally tweeted out matching tweets at the same time are you sure you guys aren’t soul mates? _

 

**_Magnus:_ ** _ I wish _

 

**_Cat:_ ** _ Seriously. It’s like you guys are made for each other. _

 

**_Magnus:_ ** _ Let’s hope so, Cat. Let’s hope so. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec is lonely, but only until Magnus makes a visit.

The next day, Alec was sitting behind the front desk sleepily. He had let Simon take the day off, so he could spend time with Raphael, and he was all alone. There were times he had wished more people worked or at least volunteered at the shelter, but the only time people would come in is to see if they wanted to adopt. His boss was still out of town for whatever reason, but his presence was never that inviting. 

Alec, like a moody teenager, tweeted out that he was lonely and how he should have valued him and Simon’s friendship. Simon commented something witty; that made Alec smile for the first time that day. He went through his timeline to see what all of his friends and mutuals were up to. He then scrolled all the way to the top and refreshed the page. When that was done, a tweet sent out by Magnus appeared.

_ lonely hmmmmm that's interesting _

Alec tilted his head a little. Could that have had anything to do with his own tweet? He didn’t really believe so, considering is was Thursday and most people he knew were in class. He didn’t have one until that night. Alec ran a hand down his face and put his phone away. He then went to the room where the young dogs were and one by one took them out and gave them affection. 

About half and hour later, while Alec was trying to brush a Samoyed puppy in the grooming room, he heard the bell at the front of the shelter go off, meaning someone had come in. Being contempt with his brushing job, he took the Samoyed back to his crate and went to greet whomever had come it.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Magnus.

He was even more beautiful than the day before. He was in a more casual outfit; Magnus wore a dark blue t-shirt and jeans. His hair fell over his forehead in one soft wave. He was breathtaking.

“Oh, uh, hey,” Alec finally spoke.

“Hi Alec,” Magnus waved to him a little.

Alec bit his lip, “You know my name.”

“Yeah, uh, Raphael told me,” Magnus leaned against the front desk, “and, of course, we followed each other on Twitter.”

Alec nodded slowly, “Yeah, uh, that did happen. Well, it’s good to see you again, Magnus.”

“Ah, so you do know my name,” Magnus smirked.

“Well, yeah, we follow each other of Instagram.”

“Twitter.”

“Twitter!” Alec laughed a little, “That’s the one. I don’t even know if you have an Instagram or not. I mean, I bet you do, most people do. I do. But that’s, uh, not where we follow each other, my bad.”

Magnus was doing all he could to hold back his laughter, “No, it’s fine. There is so much out there nowadays it’s getting hard to keep track of it all.”

Just as Alec was about to speak, the front door opened. An older woman entered carrying a large box. Before anyone could speak, a small Labradoodle head poked out of the top.

“Oh my God,” Alec went up to the lady, “Who are these little guys?”

“I found them out by the park under a tree,” the lady explained, “They were in this box, nothing was taped to it or anything. It looks like whoever put them there was trying to keep them all together. I believe they are all from the same litter.”

Alec took one out of the box and held it in his arms. The puppy snuggled into his thick sweatshirt, “It seems like they’re freezing,” Alec peaked inside the box, “There’s no blanket or anything. Poor things. I promise to take good care of them. I’ll get some food in them and get them all warmed up.”

The lady smiled, “Thank you, sir. I’d take one or two for myself, but I have Great Dane at home who hates other dogs.”

“That sucks. I’m sorry.”

“I love her to death,” the lady shrugged, “but she can be exasperating. Thank you again.”

“Thank you for saving them.”

The lady smiled and left. Alec put the puppy that was in his arms and put him back in the box with his 5 dog litter, “Hey Magnus?”

“Hm?”

Alec looked up at him, “Can you, uh, go get them some blankets? The dog closet is all the way down the hall and to your left. It should be open.”

Magnus nodded and left. Alec carried the puppies to the empty room he had met Magnus outside of yesterday. His stomach filled with butterflies as he entered. He let all of the puppies out of the box. All five of them were very timid and shy.

“It’s okay, little ones,” Alec said to them in a soft tone, “You will all be okay. We’re going to get you all warmed up soon.”

As if on cue, Magnus came into the room with multiple blankets, “Is this enough?”

Alec took them and began to cover the dogs in them, “Yes, thank you.” 

All of the dogs fell asleep in the blankets. Alec and Magnus watched them sleep, making sure they slept peacefully.

About an hour later, the puppies woke up and were ready to play. Neither Alec or Magnus were not going to deny them, so the two of them played with the puppies for what seemed like forever. The little Labradoodle even ganged up on Alec, pushed him to the ground, and climbed on top of him.

“You must be terrifying to the cats and dogs,” Magnus told him while laughing, “I mean, look at you.”

“I may be tall, but I am not an evil giant!” Alec giggled and hugged a few of the puppies close to him. 

Magnus looked at the time on his phone and frowned, “Shit.”

“What?” Alec asked, moving the dogs away from him and sitting up, “D-Did I do something?”

“No, no, no, not at all. I have class in 30 minutes.” Magnus got up, “I need to get going. It was nice seeing you, Alec. Take good care of the puppies!” By the end of the last sentence, Magnus was gone. Alec slumped in his spot and sighed. He could not wait for Magnus to come back.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus and Alec have a small heart-to-heart.

“Ugh, Simon,” Alec whined while leaning back in his chair, “why isn’t he here yet?”

Simon rolled his eyes, “I don’t know, Alec. Maybe he has a life outside of you.”

“But he’s been coming every day for the past week. It wouldn’t be like him to just end this streak.”

“I bet he has class. Now, stop being in love and go feed the cats, Lightwood.”

Alec got up from his seat, “Magnus loves cats. You know, he had one growing up. His name was Chairman Meow…”

“ALEC SHUT UP!”

“Okay, okay,” Alec put his hands up defence, “I’ll go.” He then left, and Simon rolled his eyes.

About an hour later, the bell at the door rang. Simon left the back office and went to the front. Standing at the door, of course, was Magnus.

Simon, upon seeing Magnus, yelled out, “Alec! Your boyfriend’s here!”

“He isn’t my boyfriend!” Alec shouted back while walking towards them, “Boys don’t like me!”

Alec entered the room and smiled at Magnus, “It’s, uh, it’s really good to see you.”

“Likewise,” Magnus smiled at him, “You look nice today.”

Alec blushed a little, and Simon rolled his eyes, “Okay, I’ll leave you two alone. Alec, don’t be a disaster, okay?”

“I am not a disaster, Lewis. Now go take the dogs out.”

Simon winked and left. Alec turned back to Magnus and bit his lip, “I didn’t think you were coming today.”

“I sleep in on Wednesdays. You see, I take a very late night class on Tuesdays.”

“That sounds horrible.”

Magnus shrugged, “Though I may be more of an extrovert, I still like smaller classes. No one wants to make and design purses at 10pm, so that’s why I do it. There are only 6 people in the class.”

“I get it. I’m a complete introvert, so me liking smaller classes makes sense, I guess.”

Magnus nodded, “So, are there any new arrivals, or do I get to play with the same kittens I got to meet yesterday?” He nudged Alec a little.

Alec’s face went tomato red and he smiled slightly, “Yeah, I, uh, I-I mean we --the shelter, not you and I-- got a 2 year old tabby after you left yesterday. She’s, uh, kind of shy, I guess, but she’s really cute and fluffy. We haven’t named her yet. Just, uh, follow me.”

They went to the cat room. Alec opened a crate and pulled out a gray and black cat, “She’s really skinny and light. Can you, uh, get some food for her, please? The dispenser is over there, as well as the food bowls.”

Magnus filled a small bowl with food and placed it on the ground, and Alec put the cat down next to it, “Do you think she’ll eat it?”

“I’m not going to force her to do it, but I really, really hope so. We’ve lost cats before because they wouldn’t eat.”

Magnus looked to Alec sarrowly, “Really?”

“Yeah. About 5 months ago, we had a kitten named Bobby. Bobby had been treated horribly in his home. You see, he was kind of honery. He would rip things up. His family didn’t like that at all, but still wouldn’t give him the attention he wanted and deserved. So Bobby kept doing things to get their attention. To punish him, his family wouldn't feed him. They did that for weeks. They then left him on the streets in a bag. Simon found him on his way back here and brought him in. Sadly, he didn’t eat. I think it was some sort of PTSD of his homelife. In the end, he starved himself to death. We had his body cremated.”

Magnus was at a loss for words. He slowly said, “Did you work with him a lot?”

“We all did. I was actually the one who found him dead in his crate. He was only a year old.”

“H-holy shit, Alec,” Magnus couldn’t believe what he was hearing, “That must have been scarring.”

“Yeah, it was. Terribly.”

Magnus didn’t know what to do. He did the only thing he could think to do. He went on his tiptoes and wrapped his arms around Alec’s neck, hugging him close. Alec, at first, stood there in shock. His brain clouded. He then hugged Magnus back and buried his face in Magnus’ shoulder. He took in the sweet scent of Magnus’ body, whether it be his cologne or just him. In that moment, all there was was Magnus.

Magnus pulled away, then looked to the ground, “Alec look.”

He did so, and he smiled, “She’s eating.”

“Looks like she’s going to be just fine. I guess you can say she’s your little champion.”

Alec bit his lip, “That’s actually a good name for her.”

“What is?” Magnus asked, slightly confused.

“Champion. That’s what we’ll name her.”

“Magnus smiled, “Well it looks like Champion is tired.”

Alec picked her up and kicked the empty food bowl out of the way. He put Champion back in her crate and pet her little head, “You’ll get adopted. I have no doubt that you won’t.”

Magnus bit his lip. He had heard those words before. Those same words have been said to him multiple times throughout his life. But that never happened. He was never as lucky as little Champion was going to be.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec and Magnus go on a sort-of date.

Alec shot a death glare to Simon as he received his text. Magnus and Raphael had been at the shelter with them for around 15 minutes, and for some reason Simon, who was sitting right next to him, was texting him.

Alec texted him back anyways. It turns out Simon wanted to talk about Magnus. Luckily, the mentioned and Raphael had gone to visit the puppies while Alec and Simon sat in the office.

“Why can’t we just whisper?” Alec said quietly.

“We have thin walls, Lightwood. That’s why.”

Alec rolled his eyes and continued to text Simon. He smiled when he saw his brilliant idea. Simon was going to take Raphael on a date, but take Alec and Magnus with them, sort of like a double date. Alec was certain Magnus wouldn’t see it as a date, but more of friends hanging out. Simon actually slapped Alec’s arm really hard, and then texted him back.

“I’m not lying,” Alec whispered, “I really don’t think he’s into me.”

“Are you not reading our texts?” Simon smirked, “He calls you hot and attractive almost every single day.”

“You can call someone hot and attractive and not be into them. Like celebrity crushes. Would you say that you are in love with, oh I don’t know, Shawn Mendes?”

Simon eyed him, “Don’t use my fanboy heart against me, Lightwood.”

“Still, am I right?”

“Yeah, but still, he’s totally crushing on you. Hard.”

“And like I said, I highly doubt that.”

At that moment, Magnus and Raphael walked into the office. Simon got up and hugged Raphael.

“You wanna get out of here, Raph? Go grab dinner or something?”

“Of course, baby.”

The two started to walk out, then Simon paused. Alec bit his lip and tried to hold back a smile.

“What is it, Si?” Raphael asked. 

“Oh, I just had an idea. It’s nothing, really.”

“No, what is it?”

Simon shrugged slightly, “Well, I was just thinking...What if Alec and Magnus came, too? Like, the four of us hanging out?”

Raphael gave his boyfriend a look that said  _ wtf _ , but Simon only smiled and gestured to Magnus and Alec. Raphael then understood what was going on. He nudged his clever lover and nodded, “Yeah, I like that. You two up for that?”

Alec shrugged, “I could use something to eat. Uh, Magnus?”

Magnus smiled, “Sure. I love hanging out with new people.”

“Hey, I am not a new person, Mag,” Raphael shot him a dirty look.

“You know what I mean.”

They all grabbed the things they needed and headed out. The weather was amazing. The sun was slowly going down and there was not a cloud in sight. The sky was a mix of blue of orange. It was going to be a beautiful night. 

The group carpooled to the city and parked in a random parking garage. They then walked through the crowded sidewalks for a few minutes. No one really spoke, though Simon tried to create small talk.

About 20 minutes into their walk, Raphael leaned over to Simon and whispered, “So are we going to leave them or what?  
“Well that wasn’t really the plan, but I like your idea.”

Raphael nodded, then stopped. He leaned his head back and groaned, “Oh shit…”

Everyone else stopped. Alec looked worried, “W-what? What happened?”

“We have reservations as Woods,” Raphael explained, “Remember, Simon? We planned this a week ago.”

“Oh right. I almost forgot,” Simon facepalmed. He faced Alec and Magnus, “Raph and I need to go. You two go on without us. Is that okay?”

Alec stumbled on his words. It was like Simon and Raphael were forcing for him and Magnus to go on a date. His brain and mouth would not let him utter a word.

Magnus smiled a little, “Of course. You guys go enjoy your night,” he looked up to Alec with bright eyes, “we’ll enjoy ours.”

Simon and Raphael bid their goodbyes and walked off. Alec and Magnus stood in the same place for a few minutes, not saying anything to each other.

“S-so…”Alec stuttered, “I guess this is goodnight…”

“Hell no,” Magnus grinned, “You know, Brooklyn is beautiful at this kind of night. Why don’t we enjoy it? Together.”

He held out is hand to Alec. Alec stared down at it, not knowing what to do. Magnus chuckled and laced his fingers in Alec’s. Both of their hearts seemed to pause, their minds clouded. Magnus tugged Alec forward and said, “Come on. Let’s not waste a perfect night.”

Alec nodded tugged at his bottom lip with his teeth. The two smiled longingly at one another, then walked around for what seemed like forever, taking in the night and each other.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus stops visiting the shelter.

Alec leaned back in his chair and sighed. It had been such a slow day at the shelter, and he didn’t have a class until 6pm. Simon was in the back bathing a golden retriever, and, of course, his boss was still out of town. Apparently, an emergency came up and the big boss wasn’t going to be back for another month and a half. It also didn’t help that Magnus hadn’t shown up and, most likely, wasn’t going to.

It had been exactically a week since his and Magnus’ “date” in the city, and a week since Magnus had visited the shelter. Alec had no idea what he had done to cause Magnus to stray, but it had to have been his fault. For all seven days, Alec had broken down every single detail that occurred that fateful night. He knew he had been awkward and shy, but he always was around Magnus. That wasn’t anything new, and Magnus hadn’t left before then, so that couldn’t have been it. He didn’t snort while he laughed or did anything that could have been embarrassing. Alec was completely lost. He decided to text his sister Isabelle for some advice.

 

**_Alec:_ ** _ Iz I need advice _

 

**_Izzy:_ ** _ Don’t tell me. Relationship advice. _

 

**_Alec:_ ** _ You know me so well _

 

**_Alec:_ ** _ I don’t know what to do about Magnus. I’ve told you about him _

 

**_Izzy:_ ** _ He still hasn’t visited you? _

 

**_Alec:_ ** _ Yeah, and I have no idea why. I keep thinking back to last week and what I could have possibly done. _

 

**_Izzy:_ ** _ Alec you honestly need to calm down. He’s just a guy _

 

**_Alec:_ ** _ Yeah, totally, just a guy. Just a guy who is funny and cute and smoking hot. Just a guy who somewhat tolerates my stuttering and shyness. Just a guy who is easy to talk to. Just a guy who is compassionate and caring. Just a guy who practically stole my heart then shattered it into oblivion. _

 

**_Alec:_ ** _ Izzy you know I’ve never felt this way about someone. Ever. _

 

**_Izzy:_ ** _ Okay then... have you tried texting him? _

 

**_Alec:_ ** _ I don’t have his number _

 

**_Izzy:_ ** _ Wow you really suck at boy stuff. You should have gotten it. _

 

**_Alec:_ ** _ I know that. Can we please get back to the matter at hand? _

 

**_Izzy:_ ** _ Ok _

 

**_Alec:_ ** _ OMG he’s a little bitch on Twitter. He’s subtweeting me being all salty and using memes WHATEVER DID I DO MAGNUS?!?!?! _

 

**_Alec:_ ** _ I’m also currently scream texting Simon and he’s screaming back at me we are both so confused right now. _

 

**_Izzy:_ ** _ From what I can see you’re being a little bitch back at him _

 

**_Alec:_ ** _ Ok but he started it _

 

**_Izzy:_ ** _ This isn’t elementary school, Alec. Stop acting childish. Get your shit together and figure this out. _

 

**_Alec:_ ** _ Simon is going to text Raphael and see what he knows. Now I just have to try not to have another anxiety attack. _

 

**_Izzy:_** _Another? Oh_ _Alec. Come by my dorm as soon as you can. We can have a movie and wine night, just us two. I can kick out Heidi for the night. Her and Quinn can go have fun somewhere. Tonight is for you._

 

**_Alec:_ ** _ Thank you, Iz. I love you so much _

 

**_Izzy:_ ** _ Love you too big bro. See you tonight. _

 

Alec shut off his phone and sighed. He looked to see Simon leaving. He quickly stopped him, “Simon.”

The mentioned turned around real fast, “Yeah Alec?”

“Just, uh, text me when you know anything. And thank you for being a good friend and being out there for me.”

“Of course,” Simon grinned at him, “Anything for my best friend.”

Alec nodded and bid Simon goodbye. He exhaled loudly and spun in his chair. In that moment, he felt so alone. No one was there to help him through his distraught. He’d never been in a relationship before, let alone this close to being in one. He truly felt that him and Magnus could work. Even though he was always a blubbering mess, Alec felt so comfortable when he was around Magnus. He gained this sort of confidence that he hadn’t had before. It let him discover new feelings and explore new territories. He felt as if he had gone on the adventure of a lifetime.

Now he was stuck in the dark. He didn’t know where to go next, and he couldn’t even see a pathway. He felt as if he was locked inside a pitch black room. It gave him so much anxiety that he had to find his old anxiety medicine and pop a few pills to calm down. He didn’t know why he was so worked up about the situation. Isabelle was partly right; Magnus was just a guy. There were plenty of other boys out there for Alec to date, like Steve Underhill from his physics class. 

_ There is no other guy _ , a voice in the back of his head spoke. It was so quiet, almost too faint to hear. Alec shook his head and got up from his chair. He went to the cat room

“Of course there is,” Alec mumbled to himself, “There always is.”

_ You know there isn’t. _

_ STOP _ , he shouted in his head.

_ You know what you feel _ , the voice called back to him

Alec groaned,  _ I don’t like him! _ He shouted in his head.

Alec then felt the words that his conscience told him next. Or more like what his heart told him.

_ You love him. _


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus and Alec do their best to fix things.

Alec was in his dorm room when Simon finally texted him. It was nearing sunset and Alec was looking through an old zoology book he had bought in high school. He put his book down and his heart leaped when he saw that Simon had spoken to Magnus’s friends, but the conversation only went downhill from there.

Simon said that he had done nothing wrong; that nothing was Alec’s fault. He did his best to believe him, but he just couldn’t. Things just weren’t adding up for him. It made no sense for Magnus to lash out on him if he didn’t do anything wrong. 

A few of Simon’s texts did make him feel better. It felt good to know that he was on his side and was defending him. In the end, Simon gave Alec Magnus’s number for him to try and find out what was really happening.

Magnus didn’t text back. Alec was getting worried, but then Magnus finally texted back. He said he would tell Alec what happened when the time was right. Alec wasn’t sure if that time would ever come.

 

~~~~

 

The next day, almost 24 hours later, Magnus was sat in his apartment with a glass of wine, texting Raphael tiredly. Raphael was practically yelling a him for his tweet about Alec. 

“I get it, I get it,” Magnus mumbled to himself, sipping on his wine. His week had been so terrible that he couldn’t think straight, and he really didn’t want to. All of the PTSD just came roaring back at him and he couldn’t handle it. 

But he had to admit, Raphael was right. Alec didn’t deserve any of the hate he had given him. Alec was the sweetest, most compassionate person he had ever met and deserved the world. His care for others’ well being over his own was such an amazing, yet kind of stupid, quality that swooned Magnus. There was no way to hate Alec Lightwood. You could only love him.

He finally told Raphael he would speak to Alec and tell him. He had to admit that what he and Alec had was special, even if they weren’t together. He thought back to the time they named the little tabby cat Champion and their night on the town over a week before. There was no way in hell he was letting those moments go to waste, especially since he wanted to have many more with Alec for a very long time.

So Magnus texted Alec. He told him everything. He told him about how he was in foster care his whole life and how his birth father lied to him on multiple occasions about taking him home with him. He told him how his father contacted him again basically right after their date asking for money. He told him that we was extremely poor and could barely afford his rent and was on a full-ride scholarship. He told him how much he hated his father. And, this hurt the worst for him to admit, he told him how he had gained so much trust in Alec very quickly that his father’s return made him question himself, causing him to pull away and try to ignore Alec. But obviously that was a terrible idea considering how hard he was falling for him.

Alec understood as best as he could. He admitted he wasn’t mad, just upset. And Magnus believed him, because he knew Alec was practically incapable of lying. They agreed to meet up at the shelter the next day so that Alec could introduce Magnus to a new puppy, but the most important thing was to see each other’s faces and not be tense and worried, but just smile. Because when around Alec, Magnus found it difficult to make any other facial expression. All he could do was smile.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus and Alec go on a date.

Magnus was back on his streak of visiting the shelter everyday again, and Alec couldn’t have been more elated to have Magnus back. Things were back on a positive route after a lot of struggle, pain, and miscommunication. They had such good time together at the shelter that Simon felt like a major third wheel. He even announced it on his Twitter. 

Then came the day that both Magnus and Alec were very excited and very nervous for.

Their first date.

Magnus had been the one to ask Alec to dinner only the day before. After he had asked him, Alec internally and externally screamed out of joy. He was finally going on a date with Magnus Bane, fashion extraordinaire and hottie to the masses, not to mention how down to earth he was. He really felt as if him and Magnus could really work, and the past few days had only strengthened that feeling.

Izzy was scream texting him about his outfit only an hour before he had to leave. He was just going to wear and t-shirt and jeans, but Izzy of course said he couldn’t and forced him to wear an outfit she had bought for him half a year ago. He put it on, and for some reason it made him feel more confident in himself. It made him feel more ready for the date. 

He met Magnus at the shelter, and then Magnus took him to a nice restaurant in Manhattan. The nervous tension could be easily cut with a knife, so much that 10 minutes into the date Magnus rushed to the bathroom claiming he had to pee, but Alec knew better. He thought the date was going pretty well. Alec had yet to stutter and even flirited a little. He even threw in a slight innuendo. But maybe things weren’t going so well after all.

But they were. As Magnus explained to Raphael over text while hiding in the bathroom, he felt as if he was falling in love with Alec. Actually, he knew he was. He had never felt a stronger connection with anyone else. Not any past relationship, not any crush, not his one night stand from his freshman year of college. Only Alec. And little did he know and Magnus was Alec’s only love as well.

So Magnus went back to the table where everything went perfectly. They ate Italian food and drank wine. They talked until they felt like their mouths would fall off. At the end of the night, they sat on the subway hand-in-hand, Alec leaning his head on Magnus’s shoulder the whole way home. And, just as Magnus was about to get off at his stop, Alec pulled him down by the collar of his shirt and kissed him deeply. Magnus gladly returned in and cupped Alec’s face with his hands. But then Magnus had to leave, and both were left smile and giggling the rest of the night. The whole date was simply magical.

But Magnus and Alec didn’t solidify their relationship.

As Alec explained to his friends, both him and Magnus were so swept up in what was happening that neither thought about that. Alec realized that when he got home, but he almost immediately thought of the perfect way to ask Magnus to be his boyfriend.

There was a dog at the shelter that Magnus had become super attached to. It was a small terrier named Charlie. The shelter was going to be hosting its annual summer adoption festival that upcoming Saturday, and knowing how much Magnus loved Charlie, Alec could give Charlie to Magnus and ask him them. It was romantic and unique. And all of his friends loved the idea. So, Alec quickly texted Magnus about the event, and silently screamed when Magnus said he could go. Saturday was going to be the best day.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec and Magnus live happily ever after.

And Saturday was the best day.

Magnus showed up when the event started. He didn’t see Alec anywhere, so he went over to Alec’s friends and talked to them for a little while. After half an hour, Alec still had yet to show. Magnus sighed, wondering why Alec would even invite him if we wasn’t going to stop by and say hello.

But then he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and there was Alec with Charlie, the adorable terrier he had a major soft spot for, in his arms. 

“You said you wanted to steal him,” Alec said shyly, “So I’m letting you.”

Magnus took Charlie into his arms. He didn’t notice the ribbon wrapped around the dog’s neck until the little charm brushed against his arm. He looked down and noticed that a small piece of paper hanging from Charlie’s red ribbon. He turned the small paper over and almost stopped in his tracks.

_ Be my boyfriend? -Alec _

Magnus couldn’t hide his wide smile. He looked up to Alec, tear welling up in his eyes. He took Charlie into one arm and used the other to use Alec’s shoulder to push him up to meet Alec’s sight. He leaned in and kissed him tenderly. Alec placed his hands on Magnus’s waist and moved his lips with his. The kiss did not last very long, but sparks did fly all over the place. Both men felt as if they were in heaven.

“So is that a ‘yes’?” Alec asked when they parted. Magnus smiled and nodded.

“Yes, definitely. Did the kiss not give you a clear answer?”

Alec bit his lip and hummed a little, “I don’t know. You should answer it again.”

And Magnus gladly did.

~~~~

Magnus woke up to something soft touching his face. He opened his eyes and was met by Charlie’s furry face. Magnus grinned, and Charlie licked his nose as if to say, “Good morning, I love you.”

The door opened to his bedroom. In came Alec, who was still in his pajamas.

“Good morning, my love,” Magnus said as Alec joined him in bed, Charlie now sandwiched between them, “I didn’t know you were already up.”

“I was making breakfast,” Alec said, “it has about 15 minutes left. I’m making bacon.”

Magnus sniffed the air and sighed, “I can tell. It smells wonderful, Alexander.”

Alec leaned over and kissed him, “Happy one year, baby,” he mumbled against Magnus’s lips.

“Happy one year.”

The kissed once again, taking in as much of each other as they could. They loved each other more than they had ever loved anyone else. And that was not going to change.


End file.
